Wednesday, August 19, 2020
CB Noah Igbinoghene
(Who are a few teammates that have really helped you professionally, being a rookie in your first year playing?) – “A few teammates – I’d say probably Byron Jones, Bobby McCain, Eric Rowe – some of the veterans. They’ve really helped me just setting the standard of how practice is supposed to be. That’s something that I had to learn the last couple days just being out here in the sun, so they really taught me how to practice and I’ll continue to get better in that every single day.”
(We’ve seen you out there running with prominent groups on defense. Was that something you had expected coming in? Were you surprised and how do you think you’re handling the moment?) – “I didn’t really expect anything. I’m just doing whatever the coaches – wherever the coaches put me at – I’m just doing my job, whatever they want me to do. I’m kind of just here for the ride. I’m just following their lead and I’m doing everything they’re telling me to do.”
(We heard a little bit about the point system you guys have in the secondary and trying to get your hands on the ball and turnovers. What do you kind of view that as and your role in trying to be on top of that list?) – “It’s a very good way to inspire all of us just to get better and to push ourselves in practice, especially the point system and whatever it is – awards that come out of it, gifts that come out of it. It just pushes all of us and makes it a competition, and we all love competition here. It just makes us better. To pit whatever it is – picks, PBUs (pass breakups), running to the ball, stuff like that – I feel like it just makes all of us do what we need to do in practice.”
(I’m curious with no preseason and a shortened offseason, do you feel like you’ll ever really be able to grasp how different the NFL game is to college until you’re actually out there playing a real game or do you feel like these guys are trying to help get you up to speed?) – “Are you talking about without the fans?”
(I’m saying without having preseason and just how different the college game is from the NFL.) – “Yeah, I’m sure I would have – it’d have been good having a preseason. I feel like every rookie in the past, that’s some of the games where they make most of their mistakes at, and so now it’s just practice for me and that’s just how it is. It’s the reality we’re in. I have to adjust. I have to be able just to make it and just be able to get better every single day. That’s really what it is. Preseason, no preseason, no matter what – I have to do my job out there, do my job out there on the field. I make mistakes on the field every single day and so I’m just getting better in that and putting the mistakes down.”
(I wanted to ask you about a lot of the talented receivers that you saw in the SEC the last couple of years and now you’re getting plenty of looks against WR DeVante Parker and WR Preston Williams out there. How has seeing all those big-time talented receivers really helped accelerate your learning curve as a cornerback since you just started playing the position two years ago?) – “I really feel like that’s how I learned – going against receivers like that. Getting a feel of how receivers like that – Preston (Williams) and DeVante (Parker) and Jakeem (Grant) and all of those guys – they’re highly-touted receivers as well and so me being used to going against receivers every single week in the SEC and stuff like that, I really feel like it gave me an advantage coming into the NFL a little bit. It’s still an adjustment. It’s still something I’m still working because it’s the game – the speed of the game is different. Just offenses are smarter and stuff like that, and so it’s just something I’ve got to get used to, and I’m doing that every single day.”
(When I saw you had the jersey No. 46, I was like, “that ain’t it.” Tell me about this transition to No. 23. Does that make you better right away, just switching to No. 23?) – “I wouldn’t say it made me better. I feel like I would’ve been the same no matter what number I’m in. Of course it’s just something I personally – I like No. 23. I wasn’t biased about No. 46 though; but shoot, I had to change it and so it is what it is.”
(It’s tough to get to know guys through the Zoom setting. We really don’t know too much about you, but we saw a moment of passion today. I think you and WR Preston Williams and you had slammed the field after the play. Are you a fiery guy on the field or was that kind of out of character?) – “No, that’s not out of character. I’m a fiery guy. I like to win. I like to win a lot. I’m a competitor at heart. That’s just what I’ve been since I was a kid, and so him catching the ball on me, that’s just – I don’t like that no matter who it is against. (laughter) So you all just saw a little reaction.”
(I just want to ask you real quick – you’re used to those big crowds when you played at Auburn and the other SEC schools. Now knowing that the opener in New England will be no fans in the stands, what do you think that feeling is going to be like?) – “To me, it’s going to show if you really love football or not because without fans, it’s still a football game at the end of the day. You’ve got your teammates. You’ve got your coaches. I feel like that’s all you really need. The fans – yes, fans are a big part of the sport. The fans make the sport what it is, I feel like; but that’s just the reality we’re in right now, so we’ve got to adjust and we’ve got to come together as a team and hype ourselves up.”
(Going back to I guess that competition with WR Preston Williams and WR DeVante Parker – I don’t know if you keep a scorecard, but how do you think you’ve been doing against each of them I guess so far in camp?) – “I feel like I’ve been doing pretty good. Of course, I would like to do better. Of course I don’t want them to catch any balls on me at all. That’s just the type of dude I am; but it’s going to happen. I’m a few practices in in the league and so it’s going to happen. I’m just getting used to it, but eventually we’ll get there. We’ll get to a point where I’m shutting them down a little bit. We’ll get to that eventually.”
(Have you been able to be in touch with CB Xavien Howard at all while he’s been away and if so how’s he doing?) – “He’s doing good. I really haven’t – I don’t know what’s going on. That’s none of my business. I’ve been in touch with him. He’s been in meetings and stuff like that and so that’s all I’ve really got for that.”
Wednesday, August 19, 2020
DE Emmanuel Ogbah
(How has your progression in learning this defense and playing these multiple roles in Head Coach Brian Flores’ scheme, how has that process going for you so far in camp?) – “It’s going pretty well. We have good coaches helping me out, just doing their best to just help me out there. Also a lot of studying because I’m playing multiple roles in this defense and I’m just excited to be here, to be honest.”
(In terms of the versatility that you plan to bring to this Dolphins’ defense, how difficult is it to play those multiple roles?) – “I would say it’s all about technique. We have a good coach in (Outside Linebackers Coach) Austin (Clark), who has been helping me out playing the technique right, and (Defensive Line) Coach (Marion) Hobby too has been helping me out play technique right, just to get me used to the feel of the game, even though we don’t have any preseason games; but we have good practice work out there.”
(I want to ask you, how well do you know QB Alex Smith? What are your thoughts about what he’s going through right now to come back?) – “The quarterback? I don’t really know him like that; but I know he’s trying hard to come back and that’s good they cleared him. I’m looking forward to seeing him out there again.”
(What do you think your experience being on a Kansas City team that went as far as they did last year? Being around that type of environment, what can that type of experience from you personally bring to this team, just knowing each step that they went through to get to the Super Bowl?) – “It was definitely hard work watching those guys. I got hurt during the season. Watching those guys fight hard and get to the Super Bowl, it was definitely a dream come true to win a Super Bowl. But I’m here to build something here in Miami and I’m excited about that.”
(I just wanted to talk about something that I know about you that stands out and that’s your length and the way you use your heavy hands. I was curious how you felt those trait were really emphasized in this defensive scheme?) – “As a d-lineman, hands are everything; and also my length helps out a lot. I feel like if I can get my hands on the offensive lineman, I’ve defeated him. I just do my best to get my hands on them as fast as I can.”
(I know sacks are things a lot of people like to look at on the d-line, or really the front seven as a whole. Do you have a goal of what you’re looking at and what’s the competition like amongst the d-linemen as far as sacks?) – “Obviously we want our room to have the most sacks on the team; but I’m just ready to do my part and help the team win. I don’t really like to set big goals. I’m just here to do my part to help the team win games, really. If that’s sacking the QB, hitting the QB, tackles for loss, tackling – just doing my part to help the team win. That’s why I’m here.”
Wednesday, August 19, 2020
WR Isaiah Ford
(Yesterday, a few of us saw that you were the last person to leave the field – putting in extra work at the JUGS machine. Where does that work ethic come from and what do you think about that opportunity over these next few weeks?) – “I think that’s something that was kind of instilled in me when I was younger, just growing up and watching my parents work extremely hard, working multiple jobs – my mom and my father. I think it started at a young age and just kind of carried throughout my entire playing career, whatever sport that was. If you want success, you’re going to have to put in work and put in extra work at times, too. I’m thinking that’s just kind of where it started.”
(You’ve kind of teased us over the last two years with strong early practices and then sort of faded with injuries. What is going to make this camp different than the past ones?) – “I joked around with our trainer, Kyle (Johnston). Usually it’s the second day of training camp that I’ve been injured, since I’ve been here. We’ve made it past that one, knock on wood. This offseason I worked extremely hard on just preparing my body mentally and physically. I’m actually 200 pounds now and that was a big goal of mine for a while. Me and our nutritionist have been working extremely hard on that and then this offseason, I’ve been working extremely hard on focusing on the little details and little muscles – stability, balance, core and all of those things to kind of strengthen everything around my major muscle groups.”
(This is unlike any traditional training camp in light of COVID-19. Has it been different from Day 1 to now? Different protocols? I know you can’t speak for your teammates but for yourself, are you getting used to all of this?) – “Yeah. I think the more you get into a routine of doing things, it becomes like a new normal almost. At the end of the day, we all want to play football, so we all want to take the necessary precautions and protocol steps that we have to take for us to play the sport safely. I haven’t had any trouble doing that or anything like that. It’s been fine.”
(How do you think CB Noah Igbinoghene has been doing out there the first couple of days?) – “I think he’s doing well. He’s going out there and he’s competing. You can tell he’s a really competitive guy. If he gets beat, he’s going to come back and try the next play. He’s not going to get down on himself or anything, which at that position, you have to have confidence in yourself. I think that the more reps he gets, he’ll continue to get better.”
(Last year I think it was, you mentioned how you had confidence in yourself the whole time. You had a chance to perform and you did that at the end of the year and yet, here we are again and you’re fighting for the roster spot and a prominent role on the offense. Up until now, how have you avoided saying ‘Jeez, what do I have to do to establish myself in this league?’ How do you avoid getting that feeling because you’ve been on that doorstep so long?) – “I just take it one day at a time. Throughout this entire process, I’m going into my fourth year, I’ve learned that you can only control what you can control. It sounds cliché but it’s the truth. Whether that’s me being intentional and getting to meetings early or staying after, doing work or studying extra – whatever I have to do, whatever that’s in my control that I can actually physically do and take control of, I try to do those things and let the chips fall where they may.”
(The last time we talked was about your foundation. I just wanted you to update me on how things are going with the Be The Change Foundation?) – “Things are going really well. We got a big donation right after we had that conversation last time. I don’t want to say who it was but it was somebody that was really near and dear to my heart, so I was extremely happy about that. The foundation is going well. We’re still raising money for the GoFundMe and if we raise enough money, we might even be able to do two scholarships, which would be pretty cool too.”
(Maybe it was a joke, maybe it was not; but QB Ryan Fitzpatrick said last season that you knew the offense a little bit more intimately than some coaches. I guess I wanted to get your take on Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey’s new offense and how it may be easier for players to learn, and kind of how everybody is grasping it so far?) – “I think the unique thing about Coach Gailey is that he allows us freedom within the routes that we are running. As a wide out, that’s something that you really want to hear. To be able to be creative and have that freedom to kind of paint your own picture when you’re running routes and not just have to go in straight lines. In terms of the offense, it’s just like any other offense. You’re going to have to actually put in time to learn the playbook and implement things. I think the more that we can do collectively as a group to kind of learn full concepts instead of just one position, I think the better we’ll be in terms of everyone being able to move around and things like that.”
(I know that obviously you guys had WR Albert Wilson and WR Allen Hurns opt out and obviously that hurts the team; but from a personal perspective, that provides more opportunities for the other guys. How have you looked at maybe the increased opportunity to not just make the team but play a significant role from Week 1?) – “I’m honestly just trying to focus one day at a time. That’s how I’ve been taking it my entire time being in the league, and I think that’s something that I’ve found to work for me – staying focused on living in the now, whether that’s one rep at a time or one meeting at a time, and so on and so forth down the line. Then at the end of the day, we’ll see where we are. But I think the more that I can focus just being where my feet are and focusing on the now, I think I’ll be where I want to be.”
(How much did the experience that you gained playing last season and working in the slot, do you feel helped you in terms of your development?) – “I think it helped a ton. Being able to take those mental reps from the guys that I’ve learned from in the past, whether it’s been Kenny (Stills) or Danny (Amendola) down the road to Albert (Wilson) and Allen (Hurns) when he came on. Just watching film with those guys and being able to pick their brains and things like that, then getting in the quarterbacks room and watching film with Josh (Rosen) and ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) last year. Just seeing what they’re seeing and understanding the little nuances that help you see coverages and defenses better to get a better feel of where to be at and the timing and everything like that. I think that’s played a (big) role of not only building my confidence but helping me go out there and play, because now I’m not thinking so much. I’m just going out there and playing fast.”
(I’d like to revisit the opt-outs by WR Allen Hurns and WR Albert Wilson for just a second. Did you not think there was a door open that much more, not just to make the roster but for playing time, given there were two fewer receivers out here now?) – “We’ve got a room full of competitive guys. I think that’s something that has been stated before they decided to opt out, and even now. Our room has a ton of competitiveness, a ton of talent, and it’s just my job to go in each day and continue to work to get a little better each day and kind of just do whatever I can to be an outlet – whether it’s the younger guys bouncing ideas or things that I’m seeing that they may not be seeing or everything, just to make our group complete as a whole.”
(When you’re out there in the slot, what’s it like playing with WR Preston Williams and WR DeVante Parker both being those big receivers on the outside, drawing that attention?) – “It’s a lot of fun. I think those two are so unique in their demeanors and personalities. They’re kind of two completely different people but on the field, they’re both monsters in their own way. They’re extremely gifted, extremely talented people and they can make a big play at any time. It’s a lot of fun. I think we’ve got a really good receiving group.”
Wednesday, August 19, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores
(We learned about LB Vince Biegel’s injury yesterday. How surprising was that and what is the plan to compensate for his loss?) – “It was unfortunate – him getting injured. It was a significant injury. It’s a tough loss for us; but as I said to the team, Vince embodies a lot of things that we’re looking for in a Dolphin. He’s tough, he’s smart, it’s important to him, he’s competitive, he’s a team-first guy. So it’s a tough loss; but as Biegel would want us to, we have to move on and other guys have to step up. We’ve got some competition, some depth, at the end position and at the linebacker position. While it’s a tough loss for us, we’ve got to move on and the next guy has to come in and compete and give us some good production.”
(I noticed WR Preston Williams yesterday wasn’t out there. What’s the plan for him? Was that unexpected or was that part of the plan?) – “Preston is coming off the knee injury a year ago. We’ve got a plan for him and that will include some days where he’s not out there. I expect that he’ll be out there today and he’s going to get his – you guys may not see him on the field, but he’s working whether it’s in the weight room or the bubble or the training room. He’s obviously always working hard to get back; but from a management standpoint, we want to take care of all of our players. So whether it’s Preston or anyone else coming back from rehab or injury, we’ve got a plan in place. In some cases, that includes – let’s call it load management or a day off here and there – and in some other cases, it doesn’t. It’s really case by case.”
(Load management, is that the same case it will be for QB Tua Tagovailoa? And what have you thought about his first two days in padded practices?) – “Like I just said, it’s case by case. As we go – I’m not going to get into specifically what we’re going to with each individual player. Obviously he’s coming off the hip (injury). I think he’s looked good thus far, from that standpoint physically. If guys can go and they’re feeling good, we revisit it really on a daily basis. Again, it’s case by case. As far as how he’s looked the first few days, some good, some bad. Lots to improve upon. Some good throws, some good decisions, some throws that aren’t so good, some not-so-good decisions. Tua, like all of the quarterbacks – you could probably say the same thing for all of them – obviously we’re evaluating all of the quarterbacks and all of the players on the roster. A lot of improvement needs to be made, but I’m pleased with all of our quarterbacks, as well as a lot of the players that are out there competing now.”
(What’s your view of the other quarterbacks? I know we ask a lot about QB Tua Tagovailoa, but what about QB Josh Rosen and QB Ryan Fitzpatrick? It looked like Josh had a really nice throw the first day. I just kind of wanted to get your gauge of how you’ve seen them practice so far.) – “I think all three guys are really competing. It’s a new offense, so the terminology and cadences – I think they’re all picking it up quickly and making good decisions, for the most part. I think that’s something that we’ve kind of harped on is constantly making good decisions – smart decisions – whether it’s throwing the ball downfield or checking the ball down or picking up the yardage for a first down. When we get into our 2-minute situations, getting us completions, getting us into field goal range rather than going for the big throw. But at the same time, we won’t be a check-down team the entire season either. There’s a lot that goes into it. I think from a communication, from a getting guys lined up, in and out of the huddle, leadership standpoint, I think all three guys are coming along fairly well. Hopefully we just continue on that trajectory.”
(Two things I want to cover real quick. One is a housekeeping thing, to make it official that LB Vince Biegel in fact tore his Achilles and won’t play this season. My real question is given the condensed nature of this offseason – what you’ve had to deal with with OTAs and now this training camp – what do you think the chances are that the injury risk is that much greater this year?) – “Well to answer your first question, all I can say about Biegel is that he’s got a significant injury. Once we make the transaction or any type of transaction or any type of statement on that, we want to get all of the information, all of the tests back. So I can’t say for certain what it was or wasn’t. As far as the lack of an offseason and the lack of training, I understand the question. I think it just kind of speaks to how important – I feel like the offseason is important for these guys, those OTAs, those reps, the conditioning of the body is all important. But I think our guys understood going on – it’s something we harped on in the virtual offseason. We talked to them about it. I think they were diligent as far as trying to work out, trying to stay in condition, trying to lift weights and do all of the things necessary to compete in an NFL training camp. But injuries happen in this league. It happens to every team in every training camp and for every team during the season. Nothing is more important than the health of the team. I think every coach in this entire league or really period – whether it’s NFL, college, high school, Pee Wee – the health of the team is critical. But injuries happen. You don’t want them to happen and we try to do everything to limit them from happening – from hydrating to stretching to getting into the training room for preventative exercises and things of that nature; but they happen. It’s unfortunate. I hate to see that with Biegel or any player. You see it around the league and I hate to see it for any player. I feel for all of those players because I know how important the game is to them and how much they put into it; so to see them get injured early in preseason or training camp is unfortunate. I think the guys in this league, each one of them – Biegel, I know for sure – is going to work extremely hard to come back stronger than ever, however long it takes for him to get back. And I’m sure it’s the same for all of the other guys across the league.”
(You had two veteran wide receivers opt out a week ago or a couple of weeks ago. What are your thoughts about the depth at wide receiver that you have currently, based on what you’ve seen the last couple of days?) – “I’ve been pleased with that group. Obviously working through some – like we talked about with Preston earlier, we’re working through some guys who we are trying to manage. But from DeVante (Parker) to Jakeem (Grant) to even some of our younger players – Matt Cole and Ricardo Louis, we got him back – I think these guys are all working hard. I think ‘Grizz’ (Wide Receivers Coach Josh Grizzard) has done a good job as far as working the techniques, the fundamentals and getting them up to speed on what we’re trying to do offensively. I like the group. I think they understand the importance of blocking in the run game and getting open and catching the football consistently. We just need to continue to keep working on those things. We had the two opt-outs and again, we were very supportive of both Albert (Wilson) and Allen (Hurns). Then we brought Chester (Rogers) on and we brought Ricardo (Louis) on and I think those guys have done solid so far, but we still have a long way to go. It’s still somewhat early. For those new guys, especially the young guys, getting used to the speed of the NFL, getting used to – Kirk Merritt, Malcolm Perry, Matt Cole – getting used to the speed, getting used to the physicality of corners in this league, that takes a little getting used to and I think they’re all working through that. But I like the group. It’s a tough group.”
(The Patriots announced that there aren’t going to be any fans Week 1 when you guys play there. I’m just curious of your thoughts on playing an NFL game – any football game; it seems like in other sports guys have played games maybe in empty arenas but in football, these guys have probably never played a game with empty stands. So I’m just curious of your thoughts on playing a game with nobody in there.) – “That will be very different. When I was in high school growing up in Brooklyn, Brooklyn is not a big football town. I think we had two, three, four-hundred people at the game. But we had some loud fans at my high school – parents. (laughter) But yeah, it will be a different experience. It will be something that really no one – I would say from college to the guys who play in this league – nobody has kind of played in an atmosphere like that. I don’t know how it will feel. It will be the first time for all of us when we get there. We’ll try to make the best of the situation. At the end of the day, football is played between the lines and we’ll just focus on that and try to execute offensively, defensively and in the kicking game, try to coach it well on our end position by position, try to manage the game effectively and not worry about who is in the stands or not in the stands.”
(I wanted to ask about LB Andrew Van Ginkel in terms of his development. Now that LB Vince Biegel is gone, what do you want to see from him? And also, some of the new guys – LB Kamu Grugier-Hill and LB Elandon Roberts – can they fill that role?) – “I’ll start with Van Ginkel. I think he’s had a good offseason. He really works hard. His strength is up. I think the first to second year leap, as some would call it, is an important one. I think he’s kind of taken that seriously and made a lot of improvements, and you can kind of see it in his game right now. Whether or not that translates into on-field production, that remains to be seen; but I’m happy with where he is. I know you mentioned Kamu and Roberts. I think both guys have come in and have some familiarity with the defense already. The little tweaks that are different from when they were last in it, I think they’ve picked up on those quickly. There’s leadership from both guys. Look, filling Biegel’s shoes will be a collective effort from the linebacker group from the end group to the kicking game. Biegel played a lot of roles for us a year ago in the kicking game as well. There’s a lot of roles to fill. Again, Roberts, (Kyle) Van Noy, Kamu, Van Ginkel, (Curtis) Weaver will all have a shot in there. We’ll see how this goes. When a guy goes down, there’s a little bit of what we call depth chart madness that happens. We’re kind of dealing with that on a day-to-day basis with injuries and with things like the Biegel situation where you just have to go back and say ‘we thought it was going to be this and now we’ve got to switch.’ But I think our staff, they’ve done a good job of adapting. Being flexible, that’s what basically 2020 is all about. If you’re not that then you’re going to struggle.”
